Trending With Moms

Your morning coffee at home, the bowl of cereal, and then the decaf tea you grabbed at the cart at work — that's three packs of sugar times three, or nine teaspoons of sugar (144 calories) already. And it's only 9 a.m. At 31 weeks pregnant, there's nothing sweet about all those extra, empty calories sugar provides, as you're all too well aware (quickly calculating what you could have eaten instead). Yet all you can think of is what your mother told you about those rat studies on saccharin and the debates you've heard about aspartame during pregnancy. Were those just rat tales? What's the real scoop on artificial sweeteners and pregnancy? Here's the lowdown on the low-cal and no-cal sugar substitutes and their place (if any) when you're expecting:

Sucralose (Splenda): It's sugar, sort of. At least it starts out life that way, before being chemically processed into a form that your body won't be able to absorb, making it sweet revenge (it's calorie-free). Sucralose, which has less of that aftertaste that gives sweeteners a bad name, appears to be safe during pregnancy and has been approved by the FDA for pregnant women to consume — so sweeten your day (and your coffee, tea, yogurt, and smoothies) with it if you want. It's also stable for cooking and baking (unlike aspartame), making that sugar-free chocolate cake less pipe dream, more possibility. Look before you leap to load up on foods that are sweetened with it though; they may contain other less innocuous chemicals — or just might not be over-all nutritious choices.

Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet): Many experts think it's harmless, others think it's an unsafe artificial sweetener, pregnant or not. But this sweetener is FDA approved for pregnant women, though they do recommend you limit your consumption of aspartame during pregnancy. A packet or two of the blue stuff now and then, a can of diet Coke every once in a while — no problem. Just avoid consuming aspartame during pregnancy in large amounts (so yes, a small piece of sugarless gum is safe), and steer clear of it altogether if PKU is on your medical chart.

Saccharin (Sweet'N Low): The FDA has deemed saccharin safe, but there have been some questionable studies (though those rat studies you may have heard of never proved much — they were never replicated in humans). But other studies have suggested that saccharin gets to your baby through the placenta, and when it gets there, it's slow to leave. For that reason, you might want to stay away from the pink packets — or pick them up only occasionally (when there's no yellow in sight).

Acesulfame-K (Sunnette):This substitute is also FDA-approved and has 200 times the sweetness of regular sugar. You'll find it in baked goods, gelatin, gum, and soft drinks, but again — moderation is key.

Sorbitol:Sorbitol is actually a nutritive sweetener, which is fine for women during pregnancy. But while it can't hurt your baby, it can have unpleasant gastro effects on you: In large doses, it can cause stomach upset and diarrhea, something no pregnant woman wants to have (diarrhea during pregnancy, besides being uncomfortable, can interfere with the absorption of vital nutrients, plus lead to dehydration). It's safe in moderate amounts but can lead to excess pregnancy weight gain if you overdo it. Sorbitol has more calories than other substitutes and less sweetness than regular sugar.

Mannitol: Like sorbitol, it's a nutritive sweetener that's safe for pregnant women, and moderate amounts are fine, but its poor absorption by your body means it can cause unfortunate goings-on in your stomach.

Xylitol: A sugar alcohol derived from plants (it’s naturally occurring in many fruits and veggies), xylitol can be found in chewing gum, toothpaste, candies, and some foods. Considered safe during pregnancy in moderate amounts (so one pack of xylitol-sweetened gum a day is fine — but you might not want to chew through five), it has 40 percent fewer calories than sugar and has been shown to prevent tooth decay.

Stevia: The latest sugar substitute to hit the market, this sweetener is derived from a South American shrub. Stevia hasn’t been approved by the FDA as a sweetener (it’s considered a dietary supplement), and no clear research proves it’s safe during pregnancy. Your best bet is to check with your practitioner before using it.

Fruit-juice concentrates: They're not exactly low-cal, but they are high in nutrients (from naturally occurring phytochemicals to added vitamin C and calcium). Since they're liquid, substituting them for granulated sugar in recipes takes a little know-how (you'll need to choose recipes that call for a substantial amount of liquid, then sub the juice concentrate for that liquid, as well as for the sugar), but it's definitely do-able, and with delicious results. White grape juice concentrate, which has a sweeter, less fruity taste, will bake up to taste most like sugar. (See the Pregnancy Recipes list for dishes that use fruit-juice concentrates.) Or check out the health food section of your market (or your local health food market) for the many commercial products in which they are found, including cookies, cereals, granola bars, toaster pastries, yogurt, even soft drinks. Need another plus? Products that contain them are also more likely to contain healthier ingredients than sugar-loaded sweets.

The material on this website is provided for educational purposes only and is not to be used for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, or in place of therapy or medical care. Use of this site is subject to our terms of use and privacy policy

Advertising Notice

This Site and third parties who place advertisements on this Site may collect and use information about your
visits to this Site and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you.
If you would like to obtain more information about these advertising practices and to make choices about online behavioral advertising, please
click here